Kuroko no Monogatari
by neko-nya
Summary: When darkness spreads across the land, it's up to Kuroko to recruit help from the most unlikely creature: a human. Youkai AU. (KaKuro, AoKise, MidoTaka, MuraHimu)
1. Encounter

**A/N:** This world was created with the help of Amiyuu! There will be notes on the youkai and/or historical titbits at the bottom of the chapter.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Encounter<p>

Staring the girl down, Kagami Taiga rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Umm, so is there anything actually holding you back? Justice needing to be served? Unfinished business of some kind?"

It feels stilted and insincere, but then again, spirits have never been his forte.

The girl gives it some thought and shakes her head. "No, none that I can think of."

"Then maybe you should move on or something. You're causing the people around here a lot of grief."

"Oh dear, am I? I just wanted to keep an eye on everyone and see how they were getting along without me."

"They're fine. Or, they will be. All the more knowing you've moved on peacefully," he says.

She nods. "I suppose you're right about that, onmyouji-sama."

"I'll say a prayer and send you off then."

"Alright. Thank you and sorry for causing so much trouble."

* * *

><p>"Thank you so much, onmyouji-sama! How can we ever repay you?" the village chief asks once he steps back outside.<p>

Kagami shakes his head, just glad the whole thing's done with. "No, don't worry about it. I was just doing my job. Besides, that spirit really wasn't that hard to deal with, and she shouldn't come back now that I've cleansed the place. Make sure you place offerings at her grave every now and then though."

"We'll make sure of it! Are you sure there's nothing we can offer for your help?"

He smiles and shakes his head again. "I don't need anything, so I'll just be on my way now, thanks."

Suddenly, he pauses, the hair on the back of his neck raises and he gets the feeling that he's being watched. But upon examination, he didn't see anything amiss and the feeling fades. Pulling his lips taut, he considers searching the village for the source, just in case it turns out to be something hostile.

But then a dog barks in the distance, startling him out of his thoughts. Another dog starts backing. And then another. He makes up his mind then and there to not go on that search. It's not like he can feel like anymore, and it was probably nothing anyway, he tells himself.

The dogs continue barking.

Not particularly wanting to see the beasts up close and personal, he quickly scampers out of the village, leaving awed villagers in his wake, shouting their thanks after him.

* * *

><p>"I should've asked for a map of this place," he mutters to himself as he chucks a pebble into his campfire.<p>

The moon hovers in the sky, its rays peeking through the foliage above him. After leaving the village, he spent the rest of his day wandering around in this forest, lost and confused, until hunger eventually won out and made him stop for the night. He's always assumed he had a decent sense of direction, but that's clearly been proven wrong by the forking paths and winding trails.

"How am I supposed to find anyone if I can't even find my way out of this stupid forest? Where am I even supposed to start? Why can't things be more straightforward like at the capital?" Kagami complains, wolfing down his food. "I suppose it could be worse though. It's a good thing I got over my fear of ghosts or today would've gone horribly wrong."

"Good thing, indeed. That sounds like the most crippling fear for an onmyouji to have," a voice suddenly says from beside him.

He leaps back at the sight of the person next to him, tripping over the log he was sitting on and falling on his butt. "Whoa!"

"So you're looking for someone, hmm? That's too bad. I was hoping you'd say you were on an epic journey to dispel evil from the land or something," the stranger says as though he wasn't sprawled on the ground at the moment.

"Oi, where'd you even come from!?" he demands, pointing accusingly at the other.

The boy frowns. "How rude. I've been here for a while now. You just didn't notice me."

Kagami shakes his head. "No way! I would've noticed you walking towards me—never mind managing to get this close! Seriously, where'd you come from?"

There's a pause. "Technically, there," the stranger says, pointing at the fire. "But that's not important."

"You just claimed to come out of my campfire so I'd say otherwise." Furrowing his brow, he shuffles back onto the log and studies the other more closely. The boy has a small build and light blue hair and a neutral expression on his face—nothing that would make him stand out.

"Well, technically, I came out of the smoke as opposed to the fire," the boy elaborates with a shrug.

He takes a moment to consider those words. Then he gets the overwhelming urge to slap himself for being so stupid. "You're a youkai."

The stranger nods. "That's correct. An enenra if you want to be more specific."

"Enenra…wait, aren't you supposed to come out of bonfires? My campfire can hardly be called a bonfire," he says, unsure why he was trying to dispute the other's claim.

"True. And while that'd normally be the case, I guess you can say I'm an improved enenra. For me, any smoke will do."

"That's comforting to hear," he says dryly. "Why can't I sense you? You say you're improved, but I can barely sense you right now and you're right in front of me."

Shrugging, the youkai responds, "That could be because I'm not exactly the strongest youkai around, and it doesn't help that your fire's not very big or smoky. My improvements were mostly in skills and capabilities as opposed to power level."

"Right. Also good to know. So should I be exorcising you?" he asks. "I mean, you don't seem malicious or anything, but you're still a youkai."

"Please don't. That sounds unpleasant. I was just going to offer to help you out," the youkai says.

Kagami narrows his eyes. "Help me out? Out of this forest?"

"Yes, and also with finding whomever you're looking for."

That catches his attention. "Oh? And how would you go about helping me? Never mind that, _why_ are you even offering me your help in the first place?"

The youkai doesn't even blink at the suspicion in his voice. "I've been watching you. I saw you fight off those bandits yesterday, and I watched you in the village today. It doesn't seem like you're from around here, but you look strong enough."

"Strong enough for what?"

"By now, you've probably already noticed that this place isn't always safe, and it's only going to get worse from here on out," the youkai continues. "However, I believe we can form a mutually beneficial working relationship. You have the power and I have useful contacts. I will support you from the dark and be your shadow."

"I'm not really sure how to take any of that," he admits.

"Well, before you think this over, add more wood to your fire, please."

"Oh, sorry," Kagami apologizes instinctively, tossing a couple of branches into the flames. "So what exactly do you want in return for helping me find my friend?"

"Nothing that is outside your capabilities," the youkai answers vaguely, "or so I assume. It's hard to tell at this point."

"Helpful," he mutters. "And how would you propose I search for this person?"

Picking up a stick, the youkai draws an outline on the ground. "This place is made up of six regions. You're in Seirin right now. You can't very well go to every corner of each region—I'm not sure your lifespan would allow for it."

Kagami scowls. "Thanks for the reminder."

"You might not be able to search entire regions, but I can. There are places in each region where they can make bonfires big enough to give me the power to search through the land for your friend. If they have a fire nearby, I should be able to find them," the youkai explains. "At the very least, I know where you can get a map."

"It's all very tempting, but you still haven't told me what you want out of this," he says.

"I'll only tell you more if you accept my offer. Otherwise, the less you know of our world, the better."

He makes a face at that. "What are you talking about? I'm an onmyouji. It's part of my job to know about your world."

The youkai shrugs. "True. But you have a long way to go yet, and accepting this will mean taking a very sudden plunge into a world your human mind probably couldn't even begin to imagine."

Kagami stares into the fire in thought. It's true that there's no way for him to search every nook and cranny in this vast land without help, but is he really desperate enough to accept help from a youkai?

"I understand this must be very hard for you to accept given general the relationship between youkai and humans," the youkai says.

"Right. And how do I know if this isn't some sort of trick?"

"Well, there are so many other ways to trick a human, revealing myself and talking to you is probably the least effective," the other reasons. "Not to mention this seems far more like an act of desperation than trickery considering how I, a youkai, am asking a human for help, wouldn't you agree? Do you still not believe me? It's unfortunate that the human mind is often so closed off."

"I'll accept only if you stop taking every opportunity to point out how human I am," he snaps. "And I reserve the right to refuse after I've gotten all the information if I deem it unreasonable."

The youkai's lips curl upwards. "Then we have an accord. You may call me Kuroko."

"Kagami Taiga."

"Do you have any sake so that we can formalize this agreement?" Kuroko asks.

"Like sakazuki? Is that really necessary? I don't have any of that stuff on me."

"No worries, we can wait until tomorrow to do it. Don't worry, I'll still get you out of this forest. Consider it a gesture of good will. For now, I suppose this spoken agreement will have to suffice," Kuroko says.

Kagami crosses his arms. "How about giving me your true name to show your sincerity?"

"How bold of you, Kagami-kun. There's power in a name and I would never give mine so carelessly away to a human. I promise to lead you out of the forest tomorrow and I promise I will do you no harm. I'm afraid you'll simply have to trust me for now."

* * *

><p>In the morning, Kagami lights a small torch like he'd been instructed the night before. On the account of wanting him to get a good night's rest, Kuroko had insisted on debriefing him the next day instead. He had tried to argue that carrying a torch around in the daylight would be considered strange by most people, but the youkai countered with the fact that he was hopelessly lost and needed a guide to lead him out of the forest, so either way, the torch would be needed.<p>

Holding the torch in his hand, he scratches the back of his head in confusion. "Was there supposed to be some sort of spell or do I just wait here? I've only exorcised youkai; I've never had to summon one."

"Good morning, Kagami-kun."

He jumps back at the voice behind him. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I didn't sneak up on you. I was waiting for you and have been here from the moment you lit that torch. You just didn't notice me. Again," Kuroko says, his blank expression giving away nothing. "I hope you slept well. Have you already eaten breakfast?"

"What? Yeah, I've eaten. At this point, I'm just ready to get out of this forest," Kagami answers.

Kuroko nods. "Very well. Then let's walks and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Before that, how long's it gonna take to get out of this forest?" he asks.

"Not too long. We should make it to the shrine in this afternoon and I'm sure they'll put you up for the night. I've already notified them of your arrival, and if this set up makes you uncomfortable, know that there are other priests and priestesses there."

"That wasn't what I was worried about—though it is a good point. I was just making sure I had enough food to last the day. Anyway, go on."

Glancing up at him, Kuroko says, "You're surprisingly trusting for someone whose job is to fight youkai."

He shrugs. "Hey, I do a lot more than just that. Either way, even if I question you, you'll just spew the same excuses you did last night. And besides, you haven't done anything wrong yet—not to mention you don't seem all that hard to get rid of if it really comes down to that, so I'm not worried."

"How blunt. Well, like I said last night, this place is made up of six regions. In the last few years, a strange miasma began moving in from the west. Not everyone can see it, but anything living in or near it can feel it and are affected by it. Though many tried to flee, the effects took hold surprisingly quickly. The youkai lose control of themselves and their rationality and have turned into savage animals. And the actual animals have grown rabid and violent. I barely managed to escape myself."

"And the people?"

"The humans are oblivious to it, but they're affected too. Many of their crops are failing and although they haven't lost all rational thought, they're volatile and prone to violence. Corruption, prejudice, and crimes have become commonplace. Many villagers have taken to robbing strangers on the road. There are a lot of angry spirits lingering around those areas."

Kagami frowns at the image Kuroko's words present. "What about priests or priestesses or monks? You know, people with powers? Don't tell me they just ditched their homes and ran."

Kuroko shakes his head. "It couldn't be helped. At the end of the day, they're only human. Those who didn't flee were killed or corrupted. Most of the shrines and temples are now overran with youkai and spirits. Seirin is the only region unaffected by the miasma as of the moment, but I doubt it'll last for much longer unless something is done about it."

"Then what about I supposed to do about all this?" he asks. "You just said it yourself: people with spiritual powers couldn't do anything."

"On their own, they were helpless. But so were the youkai," Kuroko says. "That's why I'm proposing we team up."

* * *

><p>AN:Seasons greetings! Decided to post this up on here as well as AO3. I haven't completely decided on all the pairings yet, so please bear with me on that. And KnB's back, hmm? I wonder how it's going to go. I'm pretty stoked to see how they interact.

Onmyouji: Professional practitioners of onmyoudou. Their responsibilities ranged from tasks such as keeping track of the calendar, to mystical duties such as divination and protection from evil spirits. (wiki)

Enenra: A youkai, or Japanese monster, that is made out of smoke. It resides in bonfires and when it emerges, it takes the form of a human. It is said that the enenra can only be seen by the pure of heart. (youkai wiki)


	2. Seirin

Chapter 2: Seirin

Kagami arches a brow at the proposal. "Team up? What good would that do? I'm just a single person who happens to have a bit of power and you're just a single youkai who needs smoke to appear."

"While there's truth and logic behind your pessimism, I still think it's possible," Kuroko says. "We can make up for each other's weaknesses. Humans, especially those with spiritual powers, have a natural resistance to effects of the miasma, and youkai, not me per say, have the strength."

"Fine. Let's say we somehow get a couple of strong youkai—or even an army of strong youkai to join us. Then what? Do we go storm the other five regions and take them back by force?" he asks drily.

Kuroko shakes his head. "No, that's a terrible plan, Kagami-kun. The casualties would be far too high for both sides. I hope your plans aren't all this bad."

"Shut up, it was just an example!"

"I see. Well, there's a far simpler way to take back the land. You see, there are certain shrines in each region that hold a vast amount of energy. Unfortunately, it's also the miasma's epicentre, but if you can get that one place purified, you'll give the region a fighting chance. And not surprisingly, that's also where the largest bonfires are. So if we can get to those shrines, I can also help you look for that person," he explains.

"You make it sound so simple," he mutters, unconvinced.

"Is that your way of saying no?" Kuroko asks.

Kagami shakes his head. "I'm not saying no yet. Let me think on it. I'll give you my answer when we get to the shrine."

Ideally, he would like to have the chance to assess the situation first hand before agreeing or declining the offer. But unfortunately—or perhaps, fortunately, in this case—he's in the one region free of miasma. If things really are as bad as Kuroko says in the other regions, had he wound up elsewhere, he might've wound up dead before his search ever started.

He crosses his arms as best as he can with his hands full and tilts his head back to think. His only options right now seems to be retreat or make powerful friends. Although no one back at the capital would care if he turned back, he'd never be able to forgive himself for leaving without trying, not when he's the one who allowed the situation to get so out of hand.

So, now, the only question is whether he should team up with this youkai who's reached out to him or find someone stronger.

In the distance, he can sense youkai skittering away, distancing themselves from him.

"It's been a long time since I've been out to the countryside. The youkai around here don't interact with humans much out here, do they?" Kagami notes. "Now that I think about it, I didn't really see any in the village yesterday either."

Kuroko glances over. "No. It's generally peaceful in the countryside, especially Seirin. With the exception of the occasional prank on passing travellers, the youkai out here avoid humans when they can."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It's always been like that. If you're talking about as of recently, I suspect it's because the ones that managed to escape from the other regions just want to be left in peace," Kuroko tells him. "Many of them have lost friends and family to the darkness."

That comes as a surprise to him. He never gave much thought to youkai having relationships like family or friends. The youkai in the capital were usually small and harmless. Only a few select types of youkai could put up with the crowdedness and the dirtiness of the city life.

"I would've never guessed youkai would have those kinds of problems," Kagami admits. "But then, I guess I've never really had a proper conversation with one before either. In the capital, the people and the youkai live so closely, we're always called in to exorcise the ones that get unruly, so I can't exactly imagine them being shy or intimidated by people."

"Life in the city sounds unpleasant for the youkai," Kuroko says.

Kagami shrugs. "I couldn't say for sure since I'm not a youkai. I'd say it's different, but not necessarily unpleasant. It takes a while to get used to, but they certainly don't seem to mind it there. Besides, more often than not, the people just ignore them. So you've never been to a city?"

Kuroko shakes his head. "It's not something I've ever found particularly compelling. I've watched a few who've gone to seek fame and fortune only to never be heard from again."

"That sounds about right," he sighs. "A couple people from my hometown did that too. It's pretty easy to disappear in the city, though I suppose you wouldn't need any help with that."

"Is fame and fortune the reason you went to the capital then, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asks.

He arches a brow at the idea. "What? No. Nothing like that. I never had such lofty aspirations. It was just…"

Before he can finish his sentence, the trees suddenly seem to disappear, giving way to the open air and sky. The claustrophobic feeling that's been niggling at him immediately fades away. He shields his eyes from the brightness and waits for his vision to adjust. After a full day of being surrounded by trees, a change in scenery has never been more welcomed.

"Looks like we finally made it out of the woods," Kuroko says. "Do you see that hill over there with the shrine on top?"

Kagami nods. "That's where we need to go? That doesn't seem too bad. Looks like there's time to stop for a bite first." Dropping his bag to the ground, he begins unpacking his lunch for the day.

Curious, Kuroko watches him empty his sack. "What are you doing?"

He blinks, looking down at the food in his hands. "Like I said, stopping for a bite."

"You're eating all of that?"

"Oh, sorry, did you want some?" he asks, offering a rice ball.

Kuroko shakes his head. "Are you sure you're human, Kagami-kun?"

* * *

><p>It's well into the afternoon when they finally arrive at the bottom of the hill. The 'hill' looks far more like a mountain up close, and it makes him want to retract his earlier statement about it not seeming 'too bad'. Staring at all the stairs he'll have to climb, Kagami turns to look at Kuroko. "Are all the shrines we have to visit on top of hills like this?"<p>

Just the very thought of climbing those stairs is making him want to call it a day.

Kuroko makes a pained face, one enough to rival his own. "Yes, unfortunately, I believe most of them are. If you'll excuse me, I'll go and let them know you're here."

"Wait, no you don't. You're just saying that because you don't want to climb all these stairs with me, aren't you?" Kagami complains.

"Please understand, I'm not a very strong youkai, Kagami-kun," Kuroko says seriously, a bead of sweat rolling down his face as if to emphasize his point. "If I try to climb those stairs, I promise you, I'll die."

His brows furrow in disbelief. "What kind of youkai are you!? You can't die from climbing a few steps! No one can!" Unsure of whether it would be effective or not, he grabs Kuroko by the collar with his free hand and begins dragging him up the stairs. "I don't care. You're coming with me. If we're gonna be partners, you better be prepared to suffer with me."

"No, please spare me, Kagami-kun," Kuroko whines in his monotonic voice. Despite his protests, he doesn't simply vanish like Kagami was expecting him to and begins reluctantly climbing up the stairs with him.

About a quarter way up, Kuroko collapses face down on the floor and stops moving. Startled, Kagami rolls the youkai onto his side. If it wasn't for the torrent of sweat running down Kuroko's face, he wouldn't have been able to tell very much of anything with the blank expression on the other's face.

"Don't tell me you actually died. Are you sure you're a youkai? I didn't know they could actually be this weak," he mutters.

"Avenge me," the youkai groans, looking straight ahead into the middle distance, "or I'll haunt you for the rest of your short human life."

He wipes the sweat off his brow and rolls his eyes. Deciding to take pity on the other, he says, "I get it. I get it. Fine, go on ahead. Tell the people I'll be up before the sun sets."

Instead of getting up, Kuroko merely vanishes from where he's lying down. "Thank you, Kagami-kun."

Kagami shakes his head and blows out his torch. "What a weird little guy."

* * *

><p>When he finally gets to the top, he's greeted by a young woman in her miko garb and several masked tengu. "You must be the onmyouji who's on an epic journey to dispel evil from this land," the miko says, passing him a cup of water. "We've been waiting for you."<p>

Kagami narrows his eyes at Kuroko, who's quietly standing to the side. He seems to have recovered from his climb. He chugs the water and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "That's not how I'd put it. Dispelling evil isn't at the top of my list of priorities."

The miko blinks. "It's not?"

"No, I'm just looking for someone," he tells her. "But it seems like it's somehow found its way onto my list regardless. I'm Kagami Taiga."

"Aida Riko," the woman introduces herself. "I inherited this shrine from my father. This one here's Hyuga, the tengu of this shrine and mountain. And these ones are Izuki, Mitobe, and Koganei. They're the tengu of nearby mountains, but they spend most of their time here nowadays. Actually, Kiyoshi should be here too, but he's out at the moment. Come, you must be hungry and tired. We'll take you in for the night, so we can talk later. I'll have the baths and food prepared for you."

"O-oh, yeah, thanks," he says, following them towards the buildings. Stepping past the barrier erected around the shrine, he pauses to admire it. Although not the strongest he's seen, it's well made and thoughtfully constructed. "Did you put this barrier up?"

Aida nods. "It took a couple of tries, but I think I got it. Only humans and approved youkai are allowed to pass through it. If you wouldn't mind taking a look at it later, I'd like to strengthen it up some more—especially after what's been happening in the other regions."

"This is the last Great Shrine that still stands," Kuroko says. "We can't let it fall."

"You've recovered enough to speak?" Kagami asks teasingly.

Kuroko frowns. "I have. And I thought about what you said earlier, Kagami-kun. You were right. If we're going to be partners in this journey, we should be facing challenges together. I will endeavour to climb the stairs with you next time—if you decide to travel with me, that is."

He blinks, caught off guard by the sudden seriousness. But seeing the other's earnestness, he chuckles and shakes his head, his mind made up. "Don't push yourself too hard. It won't help if my guide around the countryside dies a quarter way up some stairs."

"I think I made it a little further than a quarter way up," Kuroko says.

"No, you really didn't."

Aida smiles. "You two seem to be getting along well enough."

Looking up, Kagami asks her, "Say, why don't _you_ go help Kuroko on his 'epic journey'? His criteria never said it had to be an onmyouji, did it?"

The miko shakes her head. "I have a shrine to run. And as you can probably tell from my wards, I'm not strong enough to march into the other regions and expect to survive. We've had priests and priestesses take refuge here, all of them stronger than me, but they couldn't stop it. Look over there." She raises a hand and points into the distance where mountains seem to be covered in a thick, grey fog.

Even from a distance, he can feel something off. It causes the hair on the back of his neck to stand and sends a shiver down his spine. Swallowing hard, he does his best to keep his voice even as he asks, "That's the stuff, then?"

"You can feel it, can't you?" Aida asks, looking out with a frown. "All the darkness it's hiding. We're very lucky here, to have our land unaffected still. But it's only a matter of time before the miasma spreads to Seirin. When that happens, I don't know what'll happen to us and all the refugees. Most of the people driven from their homes want to return. That's why, if you can take that first step and liberate the Great Shrines, I firmly believe that others will follow and take up your cause."

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, like I said, my cause is to find my brother. But I suppose if I'm going to have to travel around, I might as well help out where I can, right? That being said, even though I just agreed to this, I have no idea how much help I'll actually be."

Aida gives him a hard slap on the back and laughs. "Have a little confidence. Since Kuroko's putting his faith in you, I will too. He's supposed to be the guardian of this shrine after all."

Kagami's eyes widen as he turns to Kuroko. "Wait, he's the _what_?"

* * *

><p>From the corner of the room, Kuroko says, "Thank you for agreeing to help me. I'm glad you said yes."<p>

"No problem. But more importantly, tell me: how can you be the guardian of this shrine when you can't even climb the stairs to get up here?" he asks, still unable to process the thought. He's soaking in the bath with a towel on his head, and he plans to enjoy it as much as possible while he still has the luxury to. "I actually have to remind myself you're a youkai at times because you seem so normal."

"Climbing stairs is the physically straining human way of getting up the hill. I find it inconvenient and unpleasant. Fortunately, as the guardian, I'm connected to the fire here and can come and go whenever I please," Kuroko explains.

Kagami hums in thought. "Ignoring that first bit, that tengu looks like he could easily beat you in a fight. Why isn't _he_ the guardian here?"

Kuroko sends him a look, and he can't help but feel triumphant at seeing a different expression on the youkai's normally blank face. "Ignoring _that _first bit, he technically is. This shrine was built on his mountain, and it was done so that it would have a powerful youkai to keep an eye on it. I'm more of an honorary guardian, but I do take pride in my job and title."

"So do all the shrines out there have honorary guardians too?" he asks.

"Yes. We were all assigned our roles by the same master."

"You have a master?"

"Well, I suppose 'leader' or 'captain' would probably be the more correct. This was a very long time ago. Before the miasma came, there was a powerful youkai in the north that I, and several others, answered to. He sensed that something terrible was coming and sent us out to protect the Great Shrines of the regions. We were to take over and protect the shrines only if the humans there perished or left."

He nods towards the window. "What about this one? There's still a human here."

"This is the only exception. Initially, I only spoke to Hyuuga-san about my duty, but apparently he was already working closely with Aida-san at the time, so we were introduced to each other. I was the last one to be assigned by our captain, and before I was sent away, he released me from his command. He said it was in case anything were to happen to him, then at least I wouldn't be bound by my name like the others were, which is why I'm able to work with Aida-san so freely."

Processing everything he was just told, he asks, "You're not bound to anyone or anything then?"

"Not by name, no," Kuroko answers. "But I think my captain foresaw all of this, which is why I'll trust his decision and do my best to fulfill the two missions I was given. The first is to protect the Seirin Shrine, and the second is to find a way to combat the miasma if the rest of my comrades fall to it."

"And they've all fallen?" Kagami asks. Although he's seen the miasma, he still finds it hard to believe that the fog contains any powers at all.

"Yes. Other than Seirin, the Kaijou Shrine is the one that lasted the longest, but I'm afraid it's recently fallen. That's why I went looking for help. I believe that if we hurry, we may be able to save the region from a lot of suffering. It hasn't spread completely yet, so they must still be trying to fight it somehow."

Kagami nods, sensing the urgency in the other's tone. "That's fine by me. One problem though, how do you plan on travelling with me? If you come into contact with that stuff, won't you turn as well?"

"It's a risk," Kuroko says. He hesitates over his next words. "To be honest, I'm not sure if the effects of the darkness are reversible since no one's ever been able to cleanse it. And I don't actually have any way of gaging its potency. I escaped in time, so I never witnessed the horrors first hand. Everything I know comes from the survivors and what I can see from afar."

He frowns. "Do you think there's any chance of it being reversible—or even cleansable?"

With a determined gleam in his eyes, Kuroko nods. "I do, but it'd probably be best if we run a couple of trials in the outskirts of Kaijou first. The regions all fell at different rates, there must be a reason for it—some way of combating it. Right now, I'm carrying a protective charm that Aida-san made for me. It's supposed to ward against the miasma, but I don't know how effective it is."

"That's actually a pretty good idea," he says climbing out of the water. "I'll have to think about how to go about it without exorcising you or other youkai though. By the way, those guardians your captain assigned, how strong are they?"

Without missing a beat, Kuroko answers, "Far stronger than me, if that's what you're trying to ask. Only the strongest were assigned to protect the shrines."

Letting out a sigh, he reaches for a towel. Of course all the _strong _guardians are on the other side. "I hope you have a plan of some sort then. Going head on against these guardians doesn't sound like it'd go too well for either of us. At this point, I can't tell which one of us would be easier to kill."

"Of course. I do have one request though, Kagami-kun," Kuroko says.

He arches a brow. "What is it?"

There's an unreadable look in the youkai's eyes as he says, "If it's at all avoidable, please do not kill my friends."

Kagami pauses, wondering if he should make that promise. It's one he's not averse to making, but if it becomes a matter of life and death, there's no way he'd be able to keep it, not when he has his own mission to complete. "I can't make that promise," he tells the other honestly, "but I'll try my best."

Kuroko nods. "That's all I can ask of you."

"Hey, it's dinner time," Aida calls from outside.

"Oh good, I'm starving." Quickly drying himself off and stepping out into his room, he's met with plates of smoking, charred black shapes and a bowl of ominous smelling soup with equally suspicious things floating in it. "What's this? Another test? I already said I'd help, didn't I?"

Aida frowns and looks at the dishes. "What are you talking about? It's dinner."

From behind her, one of the tengu, Hyuuga, if he remembers correctly, looks away sheepishly.

Kagami shakes his head. "Sorry, but I can't afford to be delayed or possibly die here—not when I finally made it out of that forest. Where's your kitchen? Are there still ingredients? C'mon, I'll teach you how to make something fit for humans."

* * *

><p>With the two out of the room, Hyuuga slides his mask up and asks, "So he is the human you finally found worthy of journeying with you? He seems trustworthy enough and I can tell he's strong, but I wonder if he is strong enough to get rid of the darkness."<p>

Kuroko shrugs. "Only time will tell. Although I still wish there was an alternative, if I had to pick a human, it would be Kagami-kun. He's as good as they come. There's raw power in him, and with a little refining, I believe we'll be unstoppable."

"I was surprised. It's rare seeing you so at ease with a human," the tengu notes.

"Really? I didn't notice." Kuroko looks down at the dishes and blinks. "Aida-san's cooking seems to have improved since the last time I've been here. It's taken on distinct shapes this time."

Hyuuga picks up the tray to dispose of the food. "I'm just glad we don't have to live off of this. Would it be okay if I throw this into your fire?"

"Not unless you want to be responsible for the death of this shrine's honorary guardian."

* * *

><p>After dinner, they gather around the bonfire pit where Aida and the tengu are getting ready to light the fire. He still hasn't had a chance to speak to the masked figures, but they don't seem particularly interested in striking up a conversation with him. And as open-minded as he's trying to be about the situation, he can't help but be wary when there are so many youkai around.<p>

"As promised, I will search the region for your lost brother. If he's within range and has a fire going, I should be able to find him," Kuroko says. "Can you describe him to me?"

With his heart pounding loudly in his chest, Kagami sits up a little straighter and pulls his necklace out. "His name's Himuro Tatsuya. He has black hair that goes to about here and parts like this, and there's a mole under his right eye. The last time I saw him, he was in his onmyouji garb. He has a ring like mine, but there's a chance he might not be wearing it anymore."

"He's an onmyouji as well, then? That'll make him easier to find. We don't get very many visitors from the capital here." The kindling start crackling as the fire is lit. Kuroko leans a little closer towards it and says, "I'll be back."

Kagami watches as the other disappear into the warm glow of the flame. "Won't people be surprised if he suddenly appears?" he mutters, remembering his own surprise whenever Kuroko suddenly appeared.

Aida shakes her head. "Only certain people can see him; mainly us and some children. But even then, I think he can easily appear and disappear across the region without anyone ever noticing him."

"I suppose that's true. If you put it like that, it'd be far more impressive if anyone actually notices him," he says with a laugh. "How long do you think this will take?"

She shrugs. "Your guess is as good as mine. He's searching through the entire region, I can't imagine it being something you can do quickly. By the way, are you certain your brother is in this area?"

He pulls his lips into a taut line. "The last records show him coming here. It's all I have to go on."

"But if he isn't in Seirin, then he's probably out there somewhere," Aida says, nodding towards the distance. "Even if he's an onmyouji, well, you've heard our stories."

Eyes casting down towards the ground, he gives a slow nod. "I've been thinking about that as well. If he's not here, there's a pretty good chance he's dead, right? I realize that it's a possibility, but at the very least, I have to know find out what happened to him. In the capital, we heard that trouble was brewing out here, but no one was willing to do anything about it. I should've gone after him sooner."

The miko gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "You couldn't have known. The capital never bothers with us in times of peace. We can only be grateful that you're here and you agreed to help us in our plight. We'll be here, praying for your success and safety every day, right, boys?"

The tengu nod their heads but don't speak.

"Kagami-kun," a voice suddenly says.

He gives a start and turns to see Kuroko, nothing but a silhouette in front of the bonfire. "Did you find him?"

Kuroko shakes his head. "No, I even tried asking some of the youkai around here, but they haven't seen or heard of your brother. I'm sorry."

Kagami sighs and waves it off. "No, I didn't really think it'd be that easy. I guess our next stop is Kaijou then. But before that, where's the sake? I believe we have an alliance to drink to."

* * *

><p>AN: Here's the second chapter! Sorry for the wait! Hope everyone's coping with having to go back to school/work!

Fun fact: Riko actually knows Kiyoshi's true name because when they first met, he introduced himself by his full name and even taught her how to write it properly (while Hyuuga stood in the background face-palming).

Tengu: In Buddhism, they were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is widely considered the tengu's defining characteristic in the popular imagination. (wiki)


	3. Darkness

Chapter 3: Darkness

"Kagami-kun, are you finished?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm pretty sure I did it right. How are you feeling? Any pain?"

Kuroko looks around the small shielded area around him and shakes his head. "No, no pain. But it's hard to tell if it's working with you standing so close. You seem to naturally repel the darkness. Maybe it'd help if you step back a little for a moment."

"Fine. Here, hold your own torch for a little while." A little reluctantly, he takes a step backwards into the miasma. Despite it never touching him, he holds his breath instinctively, afraid to breathe it in. The fog is everywhere and feels even more suffocating than the forest in Seirin. He can't imagine how anything has managed to survive in this smothering darkness. "How is it? You haven't gone crazy, right?" he asks, remembering the way Kuroko froze up when they first came into contact with the fog.

Inspecting the barrier around him, Kuroko waves his hand around in front of his face. "I feel fine, Kagami-kun. Nothing's getting in. I think it's working."

He straightens his back triumphantly and grins. "That wasn't so bad. Now to test its durability. Do you think it'll hold up against unwanted youkai?"

"You might have a chance to test it now," Kuroko says, pointing behind him. "It looks like there are some on their way here."

Cursing, Kagami runs back into the little patch of protected land. He raises his staff, ready to fight. A small swarm of youkai race towards them, ranging from insect-sized ones to ones comparable to large dogs. They charge straight into the barrier and begin attacking it, trying to get through.

He takes the opportunity to check for faults in his wards. One of the sides is starting to crack already. He tries reinforcing it, but the another side starts to give in to the endless belligerence. "It's no good. It's still not strong enough on its own. I'll have to try again later. I'm going to get rid of these guys."

"Wait, please don't kill them."

Kagami frowns at the request. "I know I said I'd try my best not to kill your friends, but this is a different story, isn't it?"

"Yes, but if you kill everything here, it'll draw the attention of even stronger youkai, and the forest will be thrown into chaos afterwards if you accidentally kill the guardian," Kuroko says, placing a hand on his arm to stop him.

Glancing upwards, he tries to recall the lessons imparted onto him back in the capital, usually by angry, older men. He's never been good at memorizing things, that's always been more Tatsuya's strength than his. "I'm gonna need a refresher on that youkai hierarchy stuff. You know running won't always be an option, right?"

"I understand that."

He holds his frown for a moment longer before letting out a sigh and saying, "We should probably get out of here while it's still holding up."

"That's a good idea, but in case you haven't noticed, we're surrounded. Are you going to use a shikigami, Kagami-kun?" Kuroko asks.

He shakes his head. "Nope, I don't have any."

"That's rather unusual for an onmyouji, isn't it?"

Kagami shrugs. "That's another thing we can talk about later. Why don't you make a list? There's not much either of us can do about it now, so it looks like I'll just have to force my way out. I'll do my best not to kill any of them, any objections?"

Kuroko shakes his head. "Please be careful."

With a spell, he blasts the youkai away and the two make a break for it. "You think you can make it to that tree over there?" Kagami asks, pointing. "If you collapse, I'm not carrying you."

"Please don't look down on me. I'm perfectly capable of running short distances," Kuroko answers, face strained in concentration. "That said, I'm going to stop talking now."

He lets out an amused snort but decides to save the teasing for when they get to somewhere safer.

* * *

><p>"I'm almost out of talisman. Let's find somewhere to camp and call it a day. I think I've just about got it anyway," Kagami says after their fifth try.<p>

Kuroko's panting heavily and looking paler than usual. Out of breath and unable to form words, he nods in agreement.

The two of them continue down the road until they stumble upon an abandoned hut. With the sun already setting, they exchange looks and decide to approach it.

On the way there, Kagami suddenly stops and raises a hand. "There's a barrier around this place," he says. He takes a few steps forward and looks around, checking for traps and hazards. Satisfied with his initial assessment, he looks back and waves the torch. "Now you try coming through using the smoke."

For that suggestion, he gets a look from Kuroko. "Is it safe?"

Kagami shrugs. "Probably. The worst that could happen is you get stuck over there while I'm over here."

With a nod, Kuroko closes for a moment before opening them again and shaking his head. "I can feel where I'm supposed to go, but I can't get to it."

"Right, then I guess we'll have to find the charms and do something about them." Furrowing his brows, he begins looking around for the barrier's source of power. Eventually, he finds a tree with symbols and words etched into it. Tracing the carvings with a finger, Kagami frowns. "Hang on, let me try to tweak this to let you in, that way, we can keep using this barrier. I'll have to cleanse the place too in case there are spirits here."

He shudders at the thought.

"I didn't know you could use another person's barriers."

"It's only sometimes. If you can figure out the components, it's not so bad. Besides, I normally use something similar to this. Like, this here is to construct the barrier. It specifies the type and duration and all that stuff," he explains, pointing at the symbol with the small knife he pulled out. "And here, it tells you what the barrier blocks, which is…"

"Youkai," Kuroko says. "It says youkai."

Kagami pauses for a moment then perks up. "Oh, right! So _that's _how you write it!"

Kuroko turns and stares at him with an intensity he's never known before. "Kagami-kun, do you mean to say that your barriers earlier didn't work because you forgot how to write the word 'youkai'?"

He averts his gaze and swallows hard. "No? I didn't forget both words, just part of the second one. At least I got the darkness part right!" When the glare intensifies, he does his best to defend himself, "Look, reading and writing have never been my strengths, okay? They tried to teach me, but I always forget. There are so many different words and you have to remember the different characters and strokes. Normally, you can channel your intentions into your wards and that'd be good enough."

When Kuroko merely continues watching him with an unimpressed expression on his face, Kagami adds, "Well, it's not like anyone ever asked me for help in academic matters. Besides, you're the one who came to me, and it's not like you picked me for my brains, right?"

Raising a hand to pacify him, Kuroko finally relents and says, "I didn't mean to make it seem like such a big deal. I was just thinking about how much running we could've avoided today."

"Yes, but you could use the training?" he tries with a shrug.

Kuroko's eyes flash and he immediately realizes he said the wrong thing. "And you could use some writing exercises, Kagami-kun."

Kagami can feel sweat starting to form as he tries to feign ignorance. "I don't know what you mean. Anyway, first things first, hurry up and get in here before the other youkai notice. I think I got it right."

"After everything I just learned, that's not very reassuring."

He rolls his eyes. "I'm sure I got it right, okay?"

"You mean you think you wrote my name correctly?" Kuroko asks.

"You're never going to let this go, are you? For your information, I didn't need to write your name for this, so get in here already," he grumbles.

Stepping past the barrier, Kuroko looks around. "That's strange, I thought this place was warded but it's exactly the same as outside."

Kagami nods. "It is, but it's not that simple. The last guy only blocked youkai from getting in, not the darkness. And since it's already in here, I can't just seal the place off or the stuff trapped inside won't be able to get out either."

"Why can't you just purify it?"

"It'd be easier to push it out than to purify it, and it'd take less energy too. Purification would work best at the source. Here, take this and stand behind something," he says, passing Kuroko the torch. Then, cracking his knuckles, he grins. "It's about to get a little windy."

When he finally finishes clearing the miasma from the area with his conjured winds, Kuroko steps back out with a smoking torch. "Kagami-kun, you blew the torch out."

He feels a jolt of panic at the thought of being left alone in such a desolate place. "My bad, hold on, just pass it here and I'll relight it. You're not gonna disappear on me, are you?"

"Not as long as there's enough smoke," the other reassures him.

Conjuring a small ball of flame in his hand, he relights the torch and nods towards the wards in the trees. "This is a pretty powerful spell. I wonder what happened to the caster."

"Maybe you'll find something at the house," Kuroko says pointing at the entrance to the hut. "Why don't we go check it out?"

Kagami pulls his lips into a taut line. "Right. That deserted, worn down looking place. It looked more…intact from afar."

Not wasting any time, Kuroko makes his way forward, towards the building. "You sure are a strange onmyouji, Kagami-kun. You can face hordes of youkai without flinching, but you can't inspect an abandoned house alone."

"It's different," he protests, following the other. "With youkai, at least I can see what I'm up against."

"You can see spirits too."

"Yeah, but you can't fight them, not really. I'm mostly used to solving problems that can be handled physically, okay? If a roof collapses, you can fix it. If someone picks a fight with you, you can fight back. When spirits are angry, you cleanse the place, say a prayer, and hope for the best. What's worse is when they attach themselves onto a person without that person ever knowing it," he rants, giving himself goosebumps.

Kuroko studies his reaction and asks, "I take it there are a lot of angry spirits in the capital?"

"Unfortunately. They're all over the place," Kagami mutters. Having grown up in a small village, he remembers the first time he came face to face with a spirit when he arrived in the city—there was a lot of screaming and tears and demands to be taken home.

The two of them walk over only to find a skeleton sprawled on the floor. Its clothes now in tatters and prayer beads all over the place. Some of its bones have been lost, possibly scattered by scavengers, and embedded in the skull was a very human axe.

"Oh," Kuroko says, looking down at the remains. "I guess youkai were the least of their problems here."

* * *

><p>After burying the bones and cleansing the house, the two start a larger campfire and finally allow themselves to relax a little.<p>

"How's the charm holding up?" Kagami asks, pouring water into a shallow bowl and mixing in ink powder.

Kuroko takes the charm Aida gave him and shows the other. The paper had become partially black as though dotted with ink and was beginning to crinkle and dry out. "It partially worked, but if I wasn't standing so close to you, it wouldn't have lasted, and it definitely won't survive another day."

Studying the talisman, Kagami rubs the back of his neck in thought. "That's not looking good, hmm? I'll make you a better one for tomorrow. What do you mean partially, though?"

"I could feel it. When we first entered this forest, I could feel the darkness." Kuroko looks down, recalling the sensation. It sends chills down his spine.

Curious, he asks, "What was it like?"

"Hopeless," Kuroko says. "Everything felt hopeless."

Not wanting to remind the other of his experience, Kagami clears his throat and changes the topic. "So remind me again how the youkai hierarchy works again. It won't come as a surprise to you, but those kinds of situations never arose in the capital."

"It's not too complicated. There are powerful youkai that protect certain parts of an area, like a forest, a mountain, or a lake. Then there are even stronger ones that protect a region, so on and so forth. Protectors of an area usually groom their own successors, so if you kill one off, it will most definitely result in a lot of commotion for the land," Kuroko explains.

"With so many protectors and so many layers of defense, I'm surprised it was overcome so easily," Kagami says, dipping his brush into the newly made ink. "Most of the youkai back in the forest weren't exactly weak."

"Kaijou is known for its strong youkai just like how Seirin is known for its shy ones. I don't know if any of that contributed to how long it lasted though. We don't have any defenses that will hold up against this darkness. Even your charms will wither away."

"Wouldn't that mean even shikigami would be at risk?" he asks. "The way I see it, the influence could go either way. Either an onmyouji could keep their shikigami safe, or the shikigami might end up infecting the onmyouji with the darkness if they're not strong enough."

Kuroko blinks. "I never really thought about it that way, but I suppose it's a possibility. I wasn't expecting that level of insight from you, Kagami-kun."

He glares at the other. "Oi, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. But speaking of which, you said you didn't have any shikigami to your name earlier. Why is that?"

"I don't know. It just never worked out. The summoning's iffy at best, and whenever I do get something, it's usually ridiculously big and aggressive. My mentor said it's because I channel too much energy into the summon. Even when I try to form a contract with whatever I manage to call out, it ends up a mess too since it forms an open channel between us."

"You sound dangerous."

"Yeah, well, that's why I decided to rely on my own strength to get things done. Am I writing this right?" he asks, showing the other his new talisman.

"That looks right, I think. Your penmanship is terrible. What about paper shikigami?" Kuroko asks.

Kagami holds up his hands and wiggles his fingers. "I'm not very good at folding them. And people always notice them right away, so they're only good for delivering messages."

"While I feel like I shouldn't be surprised, I still am," says Kuroko, sounding more amused than surprised.

He scoffs and continues concentrating on his task at hand. "It's nothing I haven't heard before. Back at the capital, it was usually just me, Tatsuya, and Alex, our mentor. We mostly dealt with the exorcists and barriers instead of the calendars and fortune-telling stuff."

Kuroko cocks his head slightly to the side. "Alex? That's an unusual name."

"Yeah, she's not from around here, but she's also the strongest exorcist we have. Alex is the one that found me in my village and took me to the capital. She's got a bit of a problem with nudity though—but I think it's just her rather than her background."

"Oh, is she uncomfortable with seeing people nude?"

Throwing his head back, he lets out a laugh. "I wish. If anything, she's too comfortable with it. I can't tell you how many times I had to wake up to her sprawled out next to me and how many misunderstandings it's caused." He shakes his head. "Never mind that though. We should probably focus on the here and now. What's the guardian of Kaijou Shrine like?"

Kuroko looks over. "Kise-kun? He's very social, though sometimes it can be a little excessive, and he has a great crying face. As far as I know, he doesn't have anything against humans. Well, either way, he's probably the easiest one to get along with. I think you'll like him."

"You say that as if a lot of youkai have grudges against people," Kagami mutters. He pauses. "Wait, do they?"

"A fair number do. I can't imagine it being very different from humans being angry over losing loved ones to youkai attacks," the other explains.

He nods and crosses his arms in understanding. "If you put it that way, I guess it makes sense. Do _you _have a grudge I should know about?"

"I'm working with you, aren't I?" Kuroko returns.

Kagami frowns for a moment before thinking better of prying and shrugs it off. "As long as you don't stab me in the back, that's good enough for me," he says decisively, throwing more kindling into the fire.

Light blue eyes study him closely. "You're very trusting, Kagami-kun."

"Yeah, well, you're the only other sane person in the region, so what choice do I have?"

* * *

><p>It takes them a couple of days, but eventually, they make it to Kaijou Shrine. At the bottom of the hill, the two of them look up to see the shrine completely hidden by the thick layer of miasma swirling around it. Try as he may, he can't sense anything through the darkness and the thought that there could be a swarm of youkai waiting for them makes him uneasy. "How many youkai do you think are lurking up there?"<p>

Kuroko follows his gaze upwards. "I can't say for sure. Kise-kun's definitely there. There's no questioning that. He'd never leave his post unguarded. If it's like Seirin Shrine, then there might be tengu up there with him. I don't think there'll be any others though. Even though it's like this, youkai instinctively stay away from shrines."

Nodding, he takes a deep breath. "That's good to know. If it's just that, then maybe we'll survive after all. I can set up barriers right away to block any attacks they might throw at us. The most important thing is to locate the source of all this stuff and get rid of it somehow. Once that's out of the way, if we're lucky, and if you're right, then things will calm down again around here."

"That sounds like a good plan. When we get to the shrine, it should be easy to locate the source. All this darkness must be coming from somewhere."

Looking at all the flights of stairs they'll have to climb up, Kagami glances over at Kuroko and frowns. "But then again, before we can get to any of that, I feel like climbing these will put us at a huge disadvantage. By the time we get to the top, we'll be half dead—or, in your case, completely dead."

"I don't know what you mean. This doesn't seem so bad," Kuroko says as he stiffly begins climbing up.

"You look like you're ready to collapse already!" he shouts in disbelief as sweat drips off the youkai's face.

Taking a couple of steps further up, Kuroko huffs, "I'm fine."

Kagami runs a hand through his hair and furrows his brows when he notices the other quivering ever so slightly. "Are your legs _shaking_? Look, I know you said you'd climb the stairs with me next time and I appreciate it, but I change my mind. I'll climb these stairs, okay? Just come back out from wherever you go when I get closer to the top. You can climb stairs with me next time."

He has to stifle a sigh at the thought of next time.

Kuroko glances back. "Are you sure, Kagami-kun?"

"Yes! When we get to the top, you'll be more useful alive," he pauses, "I'm assuming."

"You're so rude," the youkai complains, but he seems grateful at being given leave. "I'll warn you if I sense any movement nearby."

"Just letting you know now, if I get thrown off these stairs, I'm calling it a day," Kagami tells the now empty spot where Kuroko was a moment ago.

Suddenly, a voice speaks up from beside him, "Probably best not to announce that to the world. I didn't know you were so easily deterred."

He lets out a yelp and jumps back, glad he hadn't started his climb yet. Hovering above him in the smoke are two large blue eyes, just watching him. "Kuroko? Is that you?"

The eyes continue watching him. "Yes, who else could it be? I told you before that I would be your shadow. It wouldn't be very partner-like of me to leave you on your own when we're so close to danger."

"You mean you could've done this the entire time?"

"That's right. I'm an enenra, Kagami-kun, I'm made from smoke. It's only natural I'd be able to manipulate it like this. But I thought you'd be more comfortable if I had a more human-looking form. You did mention your dislike for spirits and such."

"As opposed to a floating pair of eyes? I'm definitely more comfortable with your other form. Would you mind blinking every now and then?" He looks around the smoke and asks, "Where even is your voice coming from?"

Kuroko blinks slowly as requested. "That's not important right now. There's something approaching us from behind."

Kagami turns around only to see youkai appearing in the distance. He grits his teeth and tightens his grip on the torch. "Hold on tight—or, something. I'm gonna make a run for it."

Going up two steps at a time towards the swirling darkness, he knows he's going to regret his decision by the time he gets to the top. Unable to crane his head to look back, he focuses on trying to reach the top. Even as his lungs begin to burn, he keeps going.

Kuroko stays silent, wherever he is.

When he finally gets near the top, he allows himself to stop. He collapses onto his knees and tries to catch his breath. His lungs feel like they're on fire and his legs have gone numb. "Are they…behind us?" he asks, panting, trying to put out the burning sensation in his throat.

"No, it seems that even they can't get this close to the darkness. We're safe for now," Kuroko says from beside him, having transformed back into his human form. "Are you alright?"

"I will be. What about you?" He rolls onto his back and stretches his arms out in attempt to improve his respiration. "Should I…clear some of this for…you?" he asks, waving his finger around at the miasma around them.

"I'm fine, Kagami-kun. Here, have some water. I can sense Kise-kun and others now, but none of them seem to be moving."

It takes a minute for the burning sensation to recede. He gets back onto his feet and wipes the sweat off his face. "That was a good warm up. We should hurry up and make sure your friends are alright. You feel up to climbing the rest of these stairs with me?"

A faint smile flickers across Kuroko's face. "You can count on me."

When they get closer to the top, he tries to pick out the energy signals that Kuroko had felt as 'Kise-kun', but all he can feel is the miasma. "Are you sure they're all up there? I can't pick them out from all this darkness."

Kuroko nods, a little winded from the climb. "The strongest energy belongs to Kise-kun. He still hasn't moved. I wonder if there's something stopping him."

"The strongest stationary energy? But that would be…" he trails off as the top of the stairs plateaus out and gives way to the shrine. Instinctively, he readies his talismans and staff. The air feels stagnant despite the darkness swirling around, shrouding the temple and buildings, hiding them from view.

And in the middle of it all is a lone figure, unmoving and silent.

It lifts its head.

"…Kuroko…cchi?"

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the slow update! This semester's turning out to be more hectic than previously expected. I'll try to get the next chapter up faster. Next up: Kise!


	4. Kaijou

Chapter 4: Kaijou

"Kurokocchi?" the voice asks.

Kuroko takes a step forward. "Kise-kun, we're here to help you. Are you alright?"

Faintly, he can make out golden eyes watching them from the vortex of the darkness.

"…help…me?"

Those eyes turn to him questioningly.

"This is Kagami-kun, he's an onmyouji—"

Something shifts in the air. "An onmyouji? Why? Did _he_ send you?"

"He?" Kuroko asks. "I don't know who you're talking about. We're here to help."

"Don't lie to me! There's only one reason why you'd bring an onmyouji here! And I refuse! I don't want to go yet!" The figure leaps back and out of instinct, Kagami pulls Kuroko closer to him and drawing a barrier around them.

Worried for his friend, Kuroko tries to pull away. "Wait, Kagami-kun, what are you doing? Kise-kun wouldn't…"

"Stop struggling and stay close to me. Haven't you noticed yet?" Kagami says, tightening his grip on the other's arm. "All this darkness is coming from him. _He's_ the source."

Kuroko doesn't tear his eyes away from his friend. "But, how's that possible?"

"I don't know. We can figure that out later, for now, we have to stop him from moving…" he trails off when the darkness spreads around them, unveiling the figure in the middle. He can feel his blood run cold at the sight of the youkai. "Oi, Kuroko, you never told me your friend was a d-d-d—"

His stuttering seems to snap Kuroko from his trance. "A dog? Did I never mention that Kise-kun was an inugami?"

"No, you didn't! I'd definitely remember if you did, and I definitely wouldn't have come up here if you did! All you had to say about him was his crying face," he protests, the fear making him both bold and weak in the knees at the same time.

"It must've slipped my mind," Kuroko says. "I didn't know you were afraid of dogs, Kagami-kun. Kise-kun's normally very friendly."

Kagami furrows his brows and turns to look at the large, monstrous dog with its glowing golden eyes. From his experience and childhood trauma, raised hackles, flattened ears, and bared teeth weren't the signs of a friendly dog. "Why don't you try telling me that again when he's _not _looking all angry and _emitting darkness from his body_?"

"I can't go yet. I won't. I'm still strong. I can still be useful," Kise mutters, his breathing ragged. He shakes his head and lets out a snarl as though fighting with itself. "I won't be thrown away like this," he lunges towards them, "not when I can still fight!"

"Kagami-kun, don't move," Kuroko orders and vanishes.

"Wait, what—" A moment later, he's surrounded by a screen of smoke.

"There are other youkai over by the main shrine. It's the one with the caved roof to your left," Kuroko's voice says. "I'll make sure Kise-kun doesn't get to you."

"Kurokocchi, don't get in my way!" the inugami growls. "I don't want to fight you, but I won't let anyone stop me, even if it's you!"

Running towards the fallen shrine as instructed, Kagami tries to come up with a way to stop Kise without exorcising him.

"Kise-kun, please stop! We're not here to fight you," Kuroko tries.

The inugami stops for a moment, his ears raised. "I can hear you, onmyouji. Not even Kurokocchi's misdirection can help you now."

Kagami comes to halt and puts up a shield just in time to fend against the attack. Pushed back by the force of the impact, he watches his shield crumble away, leaving nothing between him and the inugami. Kise lunges forward and he jumps back and dodges to the right, pulling his staff out.

Smoke surrounds him again. "Don't move, Kagami-kun. This is the only way I can direct Kise-kun's attacks away. He doesn't seem to be able to transform into his other forms, but this one's just as dangerous. I don't think there's anything we can do about the other youkai in the shrine for now. Kise-kun doesn't seem to want us going near them."

He nods and digs through the talismans he had prepared for today, hoping for a plan to come to him. For a moment, he considers putting up barriers, but then he remembers how the inugami destroyed his shield earlier. Pausing at the wards, he looks around at the thick layer of smoke all around him.

"Kurokocchi, you can't hide him forever," Kise says, pacing, his claws scratching against the inlaid stones. "Your fuel will run out soon enough."

Kagami looks down at the torch on the ground, completely alit. "Kuroko, can you cover this whole place in smoke?" he asks quickly, dodging to the side to avoid another attack.

From the smoke, two large blue eyes appear, giving him a start. "I could, but I would need more fuel to do it. Please don't burn down the shrine."

Rolling his eyes, he dismisses the idea from his head and looks around for something else to set on fire. He perks up when he suddenly remembers the bonfire pit that every Great Shrine is supposed to have. It sounds like a good place to start; now all he has to do is figure out where it is and how to light it. Casting a spell might give his plan away and the wind caused by the swirling darkness is enough to smother any smaller flame.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kagami notices the torch again and grins. Bending down and picking up the blazing piece of wood, he dashes off to one side, out of the smoke.

Golden eyes immediately hone in on him and the inugami charges forward. With a talisman ready in one hand, he looks around for the bonfire pit. Catching a glimpse of it in front of the main shrine, Kagami throws the torch at it with all his might just as Kise shatters his shield again. The two of them both get blown back by the impact and it leaves his arm muscles searing with pain from the strain.

Kuroko immediately shields him again, his eyes hovering.

Holding his breath, Kagami waits to see if his gamble paid off.

"Unexpectedly, you have really good aim, Kagami-kun," Kuroko tells him.

He grins as he watches the smoke thicken around him. Holding up his wards, he gestures for Kuroko to protect them. The pair of eyes bob slightly. Kagami takes it as a nod and puts one on stone lamp behind him. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he readies his next one and makes a run for it.

Behind him, Kise's form suddenly appears only to be swallowed by the smoke.

"Where are you going, onmyouji!?"

Kagami swallows hard, trying his best not to think about the monstrous dog chasing him. It's like all his worst nightmares come true. He sets another ward without stopping and continues his lap around the shrine. Twice, he gets caught by Kise. By the second time, his left arm's gone numb and refuses to listen anymore.

Up ahead, he sees the gate he had started at and exhales in relief.

Setting one last ward in place, he stops and activates them with a quick spell. He watches as a barrier gets constructed, trapping the darkness within. Kise lets out a snarl and throws himself at the barrier walls. "I won't go! I won't!"

He frowns when he sees cracks beginning to form from the barrage of attacks, despite it being one of the strongest barriers in his arsenal already. Fortifying the barrier with a spell to buy more time, he takes a deep breath to steady himself and asks, "Ready, Kuroko?"

"Kise-kun will be alright, won't he?" Kuroko asks, still spread out around the shrine, protecting the talismans.

"This is our best shot at helping him," he says, not wanting to make any promises. "I'll purify the darkness and its source. If he hasn't been completely taken over by it, then the two should separate and only the bad stuff should be destroyed. I feel like I can't stress the world 'should' enough here though."

Kuroko hesitates for a moment. "Let's do this. I trust your judgment, Kagami-kun. And I believe in Kise-kun."

Kagami nods and begins his incantation.

The inugami redoubles his efforts, ramming into the walls containing him, creating more cracks in the barrier. But before he can break through, as the spell progresses, Kise begins writhing. Eventually, he stops attacking and curls up on the ground, ears flattened, and claws digging into the ground from pain.

"Why?" the inugami whimpers. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"It'll be over soon. You're going to be fine, Kise-kun," Kuroko tries to reassure the other.

"But, why? Why do I have to go? Why did he send me away? I wanted to stay by his side. I want to see him. Everyone always leaves me. I don't understand. Did I do something bad? I'm good enough, aren't I? I'm strong, aren't I? It's not fair. I can be good. Just let me show you. Please, don't make me go away."

"I think the darkness is talking through him," Kuroko tells Kagami. "Kise-kun, is this what you've been carrying inside you all this time?"

"I want to live. I just want to live…but if I'm going to die, I want it to be by his hands and his voice."

Kagami continues his spell. There's a dim glow as the inugami shifts into his human form.

"…master? It hurts, master. I'm scared. Why did you create me? I don't want to live and die on your whim. I didn't ask for this. I'm good enough. I'm good enough, so let me live." On his side, Kise curls up tighter, his features tight with pain. "It hurts. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. Everyone is leaving. Why? Why? I…I…"

"Kise-kun!" Kuroko shouts, appearing by the inugami's side. "No one's leaving you! You're more than good enough, so come back to us!"

Finishing the incantation, a large gust of wind blows past him. Kagami shields his eyes from the flying debris and when he opens them again, he finds the shrine clear of both smoke and darkness. In the middle of his barrier, he finds Kuroko kneeling by an unfamiliar blonde's side. The stranger would've looked mostly human if not for his dog-like ears and tail.

"Is that him? Did it work?" he asks tentatively.

Kuroko turns to him, eyes bright. "I think you did it, Kagami-kun. I think you saved Kise-kun. And look, Kaijou Shrine's cleared up."

Exhausted and relieved, Kagami plops onto the ground and lets out a loud sigh. "I can't believe we survived that. Why can't all the guardians just be like you? I can't feel my arms anymore."

"Kise!?" a voice suddenly emerges from the main shrine. "Hey, you bastards, what'd you do to our shrine's dog!?"

The two of them turn to see tengu flying towards them, ready to attack. Too exhausted to fight back Kagami waves at Kuroko and mutters, "I'm not dealing with the angry owners."

"That's alright. I can take care of this," Kuroko says, getting up to stop the youkai. "Kise-kun's fine. He's still breathing. He should wake up in a little while."

The head tengu frowns. "You know Kise?"

"Yes, we're friends. My name is Kuroko. I'm from the Seirin Shrine. That's Kagami-kun, an onmyouji."

"Oh," the tengu says, "could you be 'Kurokocchi'? Kise never shuts up about you."

Kuroko nods. "Most likely. That sounds very like him."

"I'm Kasamatsu. This is my mountain," the tengu introduces himself. "The two heading over this way are Moriyama and Hayakawa."

"Can you tell us what happened, Kasamatsu-san? Why did Kaijou suddenly fall?" Kuroko asks.

Kasamatsu rubs the back of his neck and shakes his head. "It's most likely because of that," he says, pointing to the main shrine. "That shrine houses the remains of a great priest who once lived here. We were completely fine until a storm caused the roof to cave in. The barrier he erected must've been damaged and broken because of that."

"The shrine still seems to have kept you safe from the darkness though," Kagami points out.

"Powel rike that doesn't simpry disappeal aftel death!" Hayakawa shouts. "Especiarry not gleat men rike him!"

"No one can understand what you're saying when you speak so fast, you idiot!" Kasamatsu scolds, knocking the other tengu upside the head.

Hayakawa rubs his head ruefully and apologizes, "Solly, I'm just excited to be flee aftel being stuck in thele fol so rong!"

"Moriyama, do something about him!"

There's a shrug. "Not really feeling the motivation to when it's two guys involved," Moriyama says nonchalantly. Instead he turns to Kuroko and asks, "Say, never mind them, are there cute girls in Seirin?"

"Why don't you go there and never come back!?" Kasamatsu shouts. Finally snapping and shoving the two away, he points at the shrine. "If you two have time to fool around, then you can start on the repairs until Kise wakes up!"

Kagami and Kuroko exchange glances with one another as the tengu squawk and squabble among themselves. Eventually, Kasamatsu gets the upper hand the chases the other two away.

"Kaijou Shrine seems like a very lively place," Kuroko says.

Rolling his eyes, Kasamatsu heaves the sigh of one who has had to endure much suffering. "Sorry about them. We've been cooped up in that place since this whole thing started. Kise wouldn't let us out."

"That explains why he was trying to keep us away from there," Kuroko notes. "He was probably trying to protect you even while he was possessed by the darkness."

"I guess that means either Kise managed to fight the darkness off to some extent, or that it doesn't have full control over the more powerful youkai," Kagami says. "I don't know if that's a good or bad thing."

Kuroko blinks. "Why would it be a bad thing?"

"Because it means they get to keep their intelligence," he explains. "Remember how Kise waited until he could pinpoint my location to attack? None of the other youkai we faced would've been able to even think that far. It just makes our job that much harder."

"That's true. You have a good point, but I'm still glad to know that it was still Kise-kun inside."

"So what are you doing so far from Seirin?" Kasamatsu asks. "Surely, you didn't just come for a visit. Wait, are you on an epic journey to purge the land of evil?"

Kagami makes a face at that. "Is that a code for something, or is that just a phrase everyone learns here?"

Before his question could be answered, there's a groan and they all look down to see Kise stirring. Golden eyes flutter open and the inugami sits up, cradling his head. "Everything hurts…" Then, suddenly, his eyes widen and he sits up. "Senpai!? Kurokocchi!? Is everyone alright?"

Glancing over, Kagami sees for the first time how handsome the inugami is. He quickly recalls a mental image of the beast that attacked him earlier to remind himself that looks can be deceiving when it comes to youkai—because apparently even the most beautiful creatures can turn into angry gigantic dogs.

"Everyone's fine, Kise-kun," Kuroko answers.

Eyes watering, Kise wraps his arms around the enenra and holds him tight. "Thank goodness! I really didn't want to fight you! I was so worried you'd gotten hurt because of me, Kurokocchi!"

Kasamatsu smacks the inugami on the head. "Worry about yourself first, you idiot dog! You were completely possessed and nearly got exorcised!"

Kise looks up. "Kasamatsu-senpai…where are the others? Are they alright? This guy," he says, glancing warily over at Kagami, "he's not here to exorcise me?"

"Would you still be sitting here if I was?" Kagami mutters under his breath.

Ears perking, Kise huffs. "Yes! Kurokocchi totally could've stopped you and beaten you up because he's the best! Am I right, Kurokocchi?"

Instead of answering, Kuroko sighs, "…Kise-kun, this is getting uncomfortable. Can you let me go now?"

"So mean! You're so cold even though we haven't seen each other in so long!"

"Really? It didn't seem that long," Kuroko says, clearly enjoying himself.

Fat tears start rolling down Kise's face. "But I missed you so much…"

Kuroko almost smiles. "Your crying face is still the same as ever, Kise-kun."

Kagami arches a brow at the sudden emergence of Kuroko's sadistic side.

But to be fair, it _was _a very nice crying face.

"Hey, onmyouji," Kasamatsu starts.

"The name's Kagami. Kagami Taiga," he replies automatically.

"Excuse me. Then, Kagami," the tengu corrects himself, "is it safe for us to leave this barrier?"

He looks around the shrine and nods. "It should be fine if you stay nearby. But the miasma hasn't cleared away anywhere else, so it'd probably be safer if you waited until I fortify the shrine."

"Will the darkness clear up on its own?" Kise asks.

"It should. With the source gone, things should gradually turn back to normal. How did it manage to get inside you anyway?" Kagami asks.

Looking up in thought, Kise shakes his head. "I'm not sure. After the storm, the main shrine's roof caved in. I was going on patrol as usual when I could suddenly feel it." He raises a hand to his heart. "I couldn't do anything about it, and there was this voice—_my_ voice saying everything I didn't want to hear. It made me really angry, but I think it was more towards myself."

Kasamatsu arches a brow. "Hmm? What kind of things did you hear?"

Curling his tail around himself, the inugami tells them, "It was just mostly my own voice saying 'You're not wanted. You're not wanted. You're not wanted,' over and over again."

The two of them exchange looks, remembering the inugami's words from earlier. Kuroko opens his mouth to, no doubt, reassure the other, but Kasamtasu beats him to it. "And you believed it? Of course you're wanted, you idiot. You're the Kaijou Inugami, aren't you?"

Kise's eyes widen. "Is that really what I'm known as, senpai?"

"I think it has a nice ring to it," Kuroko says.

Kagami frowns. "By that, you mean it sounds horrifying."

"Only to you, Kagami-kun."

"The Kaijou Inugami…" Kise's lips curl into a light smile. "I rather like the sound of that, actually."

* * *

><p>Later in the day, when he finally feels like he's regained enough energy to set up the barrier for Kaijou Shrine, Kagami heaves himself up and announces, "I'll go set up the wards. Where do you want them?"<p>

Kasamatsu thinks for a moment. "I think I know a good place to start. C'mon, I can take you."

"Kagami-kun, do you want me to come with you?" Kuroko asks.

He shakes his head. "It's alright. You just stay here and catch up with your friend or something."

Left alone with Kise, Kuroko glances over. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It has," the inugami agrees. "You're looking well though. I'm glad."

"And you? How are you?"

"Right now? A little sore, a little tired, nothing a little sleep won't fix."

"The Kaijou Inugami, huh? I take it you like it here?"

"Yeah, I like it here a lot! The scenery is beautiful! If you look down there, you can see the ocean! Did you know? I've never seen the ocean before. Everyone's really great here too! Kasamatsu-senpai's always fussing over me and the other two are always up to something. It's fun being here. It's a very…warm place. Out of all the Great Shrines, I'm glad this is the one I got sent to."

A little guiltily, Kuroko lowers his gaze and apologizes, "I'm sorry we left you all alone here, Kise-kun."

Kise smiles and shakes his head. "Please forget what I said earlier, Kurokocchi. It was probably just trauma from way before. I miss you guys all the time, but I understand why we have to do this. And like I said, the company here is great."

"That's really good to hear," Kuroko says. "If you're ever done with being the Kaijou Inugami, you know we'd take you back in a heartbeat, right?"

"Kurokocchi, I feel so loved right now."

"That wasn't my intention," he reassures the other.

"So mean!"

There's a pause before Kuroko mentions carefully, "You know, _he's _the one who insisted you come here."

Pausing, instead of commenting, Kise asks, "Have you heard from him at all? From any of them?"

"No. All of their regions have been taken over by darkness. I've had no way of contacting them."

"Then, are you going to go and help them like you helped me?"

Kuroko nods. "That's what I'm hoping to achieve with Kagami-kun's help, yes. The plan is to go to Touou next."

"Can I come with you?"

He turns around and asks, "Are you sure that's a good idea, Kise-kun?"

Kise frowns. "I'm a better fighter than that onmyouji! I'm strong! You know I'd be useful!"

"That's not the problem. There's no questioning your abilities. I'm worried because it'd be especially dangerous for you, that's all."

"That might be true, but I want to see them—to see _him_. I may understand his reasons, but I want to hear it straight from his mouth," Kise says. "And I want to help them just as much as you do, so please let me come, Kurokocchi."

Seeing the determination in the other's eyes, Kuroko's shoulders sag in both defeat and relief. "I understand, Kise-kun. Please lend us your support."

* * *

><p>"So you're going around and looking for your brother?" Kasamatsu asks, stoking the fire. Night has fallen and they've all gathered around the bonfire. "You two must be close if you're willing to do so much just to have Kuroko look for him."<p>

Kagami rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "We are—or, were. To be honest, we didn't exactly leave on the best terms, but I can deal with that when I find him." He thinks back to the way they parts ways—to the hurt and anger in Tatsuya's eyes.

Kise arches a brow. "How do you know for sure that you'll find him?"

"I don't," he answers honestly, "but I can't go back to the capital until I've given it my all and searched every region. If, by the end of it all, he really doesn't want to be found then…I guess I'll just have to accept that. That's what I've decided, anyway."

"Well, your search is going to save a lot of people if you keep this up. By the time you're done, I wouldn't be surprised if everyone knew your name," Kasamatsu says. He steps back and looks at the flames. "That should be enough for you, right, Kuroko?"

Kuroko nods. "Yes. This will do nicely, thank you."

"Be careful," Kagami tells him. "There's still a lot of miasma around. How's the charm holding up? Should I make you another one before you go?"

Pulling out the charm, which looks surprisingly intact and whole, Kuroko shakes his head. "Your charm is holding up very well, Kagami-kun. It will most likely last until I'm finished. If not, I'll come straight back here." He walks up to the bonfire. "I'll be off, then."

Moriyama grins and sidles up to Kagami. "Once everyone knows your name, be a friend and introduce me to some cute girls, okay? Say, what are the girls like in the capital?"

"You'le compretery missing the point of his stoly, Moliyama!" Hayakawa yells. "His passionate sealch for his blothel has got me arr filed up!"

"Nobody understands you! Speak properly! And you! Stop talking about girls! That's not related to our conversation! Go back to your own mountain for that kind of stuff!" Kasamatsu yells back, shoving the two away. "Kise, stop sitting around and help me!"

"But I kind of have a problem right now, senpai," Kise says.

Kasamatsu frowns. "What is it?"

Holding two brushes in his hand, the inugami turns to him with a dead serious look on his face and asks, "Which one do you think I should bring with me? This one's better, but it's also more delicate, so I'd have to be extra careful while travelling with it. This one's sturdy, but it doesn't feel as silky after and I want to look my best, you know?"

"No, I don't know! And I don't care! You're all idiots!" the tengu snaps.

* * *

><p>AN: Here's the next chapter! Kasamatsu's still Kise's senpai because he's older and he's been at the shrine longer. Let's leave off on a brighter note for this chapter, yeah? Enjoy!

Inugami: Japanese folklore describes Inugami as zoomorphic or anthropomorphic, dog-like beings, often similar to werewolves (wiki). (Note: If you're curious about the conjuring of an inugami, wiki provides a very vivid description of the process which also includes animal death.)


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